Softball: Avah Oertel homers twice in Princeton’s win over Newman

STERLING – Princeton freshman Avah Oertel had a game to remember Monday against Newman.

In a 10-2 Three Rivers Conference East Division win over the rival Comets, she went 2 for 2 with a pair of two-run home runs and two walks.

For Princeton head coach Jhavon Hayes, that type of performance comes as no surprise.

“It’s what I expect from her. All I say is touch the ball and everything else will take care of itself,” Hayes said. “She did a good job at keeping a level head and swinging for a base hit. It just so happened to be over the fence.”

[ Photos: Newman vs Princeton softball April 29, 2024 ]

The Tigresses (13-5) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Sophomore MaKayla Hecht led off with a single, stole second and third bases on an errant pickoff attempt, and scored the first run on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, junior Kelsea Klingenberg drew a two-out walk, then Oertel blasted a two-run shot over the center-field fence for a three-run lead.

In the bottom of the first, Newman senior Madison Duhon led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by senior Addison Foster.

But the Tigresses had the answer in the top of the third, scoring four runs to stretch the lead to 7-1.

Hecht ignited the run with an RBI single, junior Sam Woolley plated a run on a sacrifice fly and sophomore Sylvie Rutledge scored another run on a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Kiyarra Morris singled to center field for a 7-1 lead.

“They were a great team. We can’t take that away from them,” Newman coach Madison Koerner said. “We’ve just have to be able to make plays on defense. We’ve got to be able to execute outs. And then, of course, we can’t score if we don’t hit, so we’ve got to get better approaches at the plate and come out ready to swing.”

The Comets (7-8) cut the deficit to 7-2 in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by junior Amiya Rodriguez.

But Princeton sophomore pitcher Reese Reviglio shut the door on a comeback, allowing one hit without a run or walk over the last four innings.

“She did a great job of keeping them off balance and hitting her spots,” Hayes said. “We gave up a few hits, but she bounced back pretty well, getting the next batter oftentimes.”

The Tigresses capped the scoring with a three-run fifth inning. Oertel delivered another two-run home run in the second at-bat, then sophomore Izzy Gibson singled to score the 10th run.

“We came out with energy is really what it is,” Hayes said. “I just told them, ‘Come with energy. That’s going to set the tone whether we scored [in the first inning] or not.’ ”

Reviglio earned the complete game win, allowing two earned runs on eight hits and striking out four with no walks.

Klingenberg went 3 for 3 with a walk, and Gibson went 2 for 4 with an RBI for Princeton.

For Newman, senior pitcher Jess Johns went 3 for 3 and Foster went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Comets went into the rivalry game on a four-game winning streak and are excited to see how they progress the rest of the season.

“The girls have been playing great lately. We just hit a little bit of a bump in the road tonight,” Koerner said. “But they’ve been coming together, they’ve been working really hard, so we’re happy to see the improvement that they’re making.”